Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Sion

For one person, living is cheaper in Sion: $3,284 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Sion

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Basel and in Sion actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,284 in Sion.

Basel $3,669
Sion $3,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $4,915 in Sion.

Basel $5,649
Sion $4,915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $6,546 in Sion.

Basel $7,629
Sion $6,546

Living in Basel is roughly 12% more expensive than in Sion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Sion 141% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 24.96

$29.93 CHF 24.69

1.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$90.2 CHF 74.4

38.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.77

$19.21 CHF 15.85

-6.77%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.38

$4.66 CHF 3.84

39.91%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CHF 5.34

$5.39 CHF 4.44

20.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.87

$4.17 CHF 3.44

41.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.76

$7.32 CHF 6.04

28.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.82

$7.40 CHF 6.10

28.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.02 CHF 1.67

13.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.51

$3.71 CHF 3.06

-18.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.70

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-18.66%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.57

$7.23 CHF 5.96

10.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.72

$25.77 CHF 21.25

2.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.53

$22.80 CHF 18.80

19.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 33.94

$39.58 CHF 32.64

3.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.05

$3.28 CHF 2.71

12.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$1.70 CHF 1.40

35.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.54 CHF 2.10

19.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.74

$6.35 CHF 5.24

-28.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.38

$1.81 CHF 1.49

-7.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.15 CHF 1.78

-11.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$2.45 CHF 2.02

-7.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.17 CHF 0.96

36.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.20

$10.96 CHF 9.04

1.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.82

$14.59 CHF 12.03

-18.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$1.79 CHF 1.48

36.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$1.88 CHF 1.55

61.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.30

$5.17 CHF 4.27

0.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.4

$179 CHF 147

-41.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.58

$5.93 CHF 4.89

34.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.81

$5.39 CHF 4.45

-14.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 68.7

$49.11 CHF 40.51

69.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$2.30 CHF 1.90

5.22%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

-2.77%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

6.37%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$296 CHF 244

$309 CHF 255

-4.42%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$46.31 CHF 38.20

$25.35 CHF 20.91

82.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.1

$48.26 CHF 39.80

30.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 67.7

$137 CHF 113

-40.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.06

$55.4 CHF 45.71

5.12%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.84

$20.33 CHF 16.77

12.35%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$3,139 CHF 2,589

$974 CHF 804

222.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

$38.2K CHF 31.5K

-14.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$110 CHF 91.0

30.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.9

$49.30 CHF 40.66

61.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$165 CHF 136

-3.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 161

$172 CHF 142

13.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,722

$1,231 CHF 1,015

69.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,358

$1,269 CHF 1,047

29.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,984

$2,308 CHF 1,904

56.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,446

$2,091 CHF 1,724

41.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

$7,526 CHF 6,207

131.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

$5,552 CHF 4,579

147.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,839

$5,816 CHF 4,797

21.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.15

12.56%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sion: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Sion

$1.3K 38.6% 22.9% $378

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Sion

$556 16.9% 4.7% $27

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Sion

$443 13.5% 9.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Sion

$383 11.7% 5.5% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Sion

$224 6.8% 14.1% $37

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Sion

$232 7.1% 48.2% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Sion

$178 5.4% 39.2% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,231 in Sion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 22% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $90 in Sion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $584 vs $556 per month, with Sion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Sion

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

34,599

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Basel vs Sion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sion wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sion the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Basel, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,087 in Basel versus $1,231 in Sion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $974 in Sion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Sion is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Sion wins on affordability, Basel on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.